While in Florence last month I stay three nights at the convent guest house of the Suore Oblate. Located on Borgo Pinto, it was walking distance of everything. Ring the bell and enter an atmosphere so peaceful. My en suite room was rather small but adequate for a three nights stay; the wifi was excellent; breakfast consisted of coffee, juice, fruit and a roll. Just fine to get me started. I could imagine spending more time in the public rooms. Gardens and chapel, but then they are in competition with the public streets, gardens and churches of Florence.In 1515 an estimated 2,500 nuns lived in Florentine convents and according to historian Sharon T. Strocchia, by 1552 roughly one in eight Florentine women lived in religious communities. Some women joined of their own volition but many women, especially from elite families, were sent there for economic, social and political reasons. Suore Oblate is affiliated with Le Oblate dell’Assunzione religiouse missionariehttp://www.sanctuarybbfirenze.com/ http://www.soeursoblatesassomption.wordpress.com